DECHOW PLACES 4TH AT NCAA'S AND IS CROWNED AN ALL-AMERICAN

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – On Saturday,Old Dominion University’s Jack Dechow split his two matchesand finished fourth in the 184-pound bracket of the 2014 NCAA Tournament, becoming the 26th All-American in school history and first ever at his weight class, while undoubtedly being one of the youngest to ever to accomplish such an astonishing feat.

With just the 10 National Championships remaining, Steve Martin’s Wrestling Monarchs currently sit in 23rd place with 18.5 points in the Team Standings, which is tied with the University of Virginia.

Wrestleback Semifinal Match – 184For a chance to wrestle in the Third Place Match, No. 13 seeded Jack Dechow had a showdown with No. 7 seeded Kevin Steinhaus of Minnesota, who has qualified for three NCAA Tournaments and earned All-American status at all three.

Just over a minute into the first period, Dechow scored a takedown, in which Steinhaus would later escape, giving ODU’s Richmond, Illinois’ native a 2-1 advantage after the first three minutes.

Dechow started the second period on bottom and escaped just four seconds in. Old Dominion’s redshirt freshman then took Steinhaus down again at the 1:11 mark to give Dechow a 5-2 lead heading into the third period.

Steinhaus escaped for a third time in the match to start the final period, before Dechow sealed the deal with yet another takedown, lifting him to a 8-4 victory over Minnesota’s redshirt-senior.

The win landed Dechow in the Third Place Match.

Third Place Match – 184In the Third Place Match, No. 13 seeded Jack Dechow faced the No. 3 seed from Cornell, Gabriel Dean, who compiled an impressive 39-3 record entering the match as a true freshman.

Dean started off the scoring with a takedown 17 seconds into the first period. At the 1:34 mark, Dechow managed to escape, bringing the score to 2-1 heading into the second.

Dean kicked off the second period with an escape after six seconds of starting on bottom and that would be the only point scored in the second, as Dean held a 3-1 lead after two periods with a riding-time point in his back pocket.

Dechow maneuvered his way into another escape after 16 seconds of starting on bottom, cutting the deficit to 3-2. Dean would then pick up his fourth point on an escape. ODU’s redshirt freshman answered back and struck again to tie the score at 4-4; however, it wasn’t enough due to Dean’s riding-time point, as Dean held onto a gut-wrenching 5-4 decision.

IT SHOULD BE NOTED Cornell’s Gabriel Dean will be the highest placed 2014 All-American entering next season at 184-pounds, while Jack Dechow ranks second on that list.

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